Citation

Simms BW, Petersen ER. J. Crim. Justice 1989; 17(3): 199-224.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0047-2352(89)90020-2

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Municipal police force activities, from car patrol and criminal intelligence to follow-up investigation, have been modeled as information processing activities and linked in an information processing model of criminal investigation. In the present study municipal police force data were used to estimate model parameters, and the resulting computer simulation was used to investigate tactical and strategic questions about the economic allocation of resources. The analysis, based on principles of economic efficiency and estimates of the appropriate production functions, suggests that clearance rates are most sensitive to learning activities, somewhat less sensitive to solving activities, and quite insensitive to sensing activities.